Do You Buy Kosher Meat?

by Sarah Kagan

on 01/14/10 at 04:56 PM

An interesting article in yesterday's New York Timesreported that more and more consumers are buying kosher meat products in the belief that they're safer and/or more humane than standard meat. A Seattle food blogger quoted in the article said, "I prefer to buy local and organic, but when I get to the market late and they have sold out of the chicken, I end up buying kosher because I feel it is the second-best thing." A Whole Foods meat coordinator said that a new line of kosher chickens have proven popular as a more affordable alternative to organic.

According to the article, the jury's still out on the science behind these beliefs. Some of the requirements of Jewish dietary law, such as careful handling of the animals and a special diet, can mean better care, but at large factory farms this is not necessarily the case. The kosher rules for slaughter, which require that the animal's throat be quickly cut, are not inherently more humane than other slaughtering methods. The post-slaughter processing rules, which involve cleaning the meat with coarse salt and water, can sometimes help rinse off bacteria, but a 2007 study by the Department of Agriculture actually found more listeria on kosher chickens than on conventional ones. (Though the kosher birds did have less salmonella.)

I personally am a fan of kosher chickens and turkeys in some situations: Like many cooks, I'm convinced that the salt added during the koshering process makes the meat juicier and more flavorful. But all other things being equal, I'd still prefer an organic or heritage bird from a local farm. An overnight soak in a salt and herb rub (also known as "dry-brining") will yield much the same result as koshering.

But I do understand the appeal of kosher meat, even if you're not religious: There's something about the idea that a product has been approved by a strict religious authority that gives it an air of purity and cleanliness. As Hebrew National hot dogs claim in their classic, and brilliant, slogan, "We answer to a higher authority." When given the choice between an all-beef Hebrew National frank and another brand filled with goodness-knows-what, it's easy to see why so many consumers choose the former.

Food is indeed part of everyone's lives and we cannot live without it. But we have the option to make our food selection healthier. By choosing kosher-style food, we make an attempt to have a cleaner and healthier lifestyle. Delicatessens that serve kosher-style food is fast spreading all over the country and that includes For Lauderdale in Florida. This is because more and more people are realizing that kosher is not only for the Jewish people, their way of preparing their food can also benefit all of us.http://www.towerdeli.com

cathfish
05:59:41 PM on
01/17/10

Full disclosure at the start - I keep a Kosher home and have done so for the past 15 years. At other times in my life I have not.

Purity and cleanliness for kosher foods is meant in a ritual, religious sense. When you make a secular interpretation, you are making assumptions that might or might not be accurate.

Meat from an animal that was raised on a factory farm and slaughtered in a large slaughterhouse staffed by poorly paid workers can, in the strict, ritual sense, be kosher. That is generally what you get when you buy kosher meat. There are some companies that are starting to offer organic, free range kosher options at least for poultry. Wise is one of the more widely distributed brands. There are some very small, local efforts to setup CSA or coop type organizations. These work directly with small livestock and poultry farmers. There are also efforts underway to develop a Kosher certification that explicitly addresses concerns for how the animals have been raised and also how the workers are treated.

candicebond
05:53:22 AM on
01/15/10

Due to demand, quite a lot of the products available in my local supermarket happen to be Kosher. I can only find a stewing hen in the Kosher section, for example. Also a good selection of smoked sausages (a local brand, I think) in chicken, turkey and beef varieties; I lurked near the sample table long enough to try all of them. Turkey kolbasa, too, about half the fat of it's pork counterpart, and just as tasty. Kosher products tend to be lower in fat but much higher in sodium, so choose your poison wisely.

crpaulk
07:41:39 PM on
01/14/10

I would probably buy or try kosher meat if we had some available locally. Where we are physically located, we have a lot of fantastic organic farmers, growers and ranches. We can get buffalo, lamb, pork and beef directly from the people who raise them and this is one of the main reasons, I haven't sought out kosher meat. Our local gourmet market carries 2 types of organic chicken, a Washington grown chicken and southern. Pretty sure the "Smart Chicken" isn't Kosher, though I wouldn't buy it if it was. It has an unappealing yellow /orange color.
The one local place that advertises Kosher meat, I just can't buy anything there. I don't think that they "get" than Kosher is about clean.

rjordan
06:29:56 PM on
01/14/10

I grew up in a multigenerational household where my grandparents kept strictly Kosher and remember well the Kosher butcher with the dead chickens lying in the window. My mother-in-law also kept Kosher, which led to my having to introduce my husband (then boyfriend) to what a real steak tasted like. He had been used to the dry, pan-fried bloodless steaks his mother made. No, I do not buy Kosher meat except for an occasional package of Empire Kosher chicken at Trader Joe's, which do taste more chickeny, but have to be careful to go easy on any added salt. While the slaughtering process may be more humane, I believe the raising process still practices factory farming. I do not keep a Kosher home, and enjoy really good Niman Ranch or Pork du Preton pork chops, ribs, and bacon.

belleocchio
06:27:35 PM on
01/14/10

seriously, "we answer to a higher authority".. always rang in my head. But I guess when large companies are involved, you just can't trust it. The only way is to know your butcher, the fishmonger and shop local.
As for hot dogs that I don't feel disgusted by and make my dad happy.. I definitely only buy the kosher ones. Reason being to avoid nitrates and they seem to taste better without fillers. (and hoping they truly make their product doing the right thing)